NVIDIA

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050

Expert rating6.5 / 10

Architecture:: Ampere (GA106)
CUDA Cores:: 2560
Memory:: 8GB GDDR6
TDP:: 130W
Launch Price:: $249

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Manufacturer: NVIDIA Last updated: September 11, 2026

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Review

The RTX 3050 was NVIDIA's entry point into the Ampere generation, bringing ray tracing and DLSS down to a genuinely budget price tier for the first time.

2560 CUDA cores and dedicated RT and Tensor cores let the RTX 3050 run ray-traced effects and DLSS upscaling that older, cheaper cards simply couldn't touch, even if performance headroom is modest.

Ray Tracing at a Budget Price

2560 CUDA cores and dedicated RT and Tensor cores let the RTX 3050 run ray-traced effects and DLSS upscaling that older, cheaper cards simply couldn't touch, even if performance headroom is modest.

A Card for Light 1080p Gaming

With 8GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, the RTX 3050 targets esports titles and 1080p gaming at medium settings rather than demanding AAA workloads.

Comparison to Alternatives

Against the newer RTX 4060 already on this site, the RTX 3050 trails clearly in efficiency and DLSS generation support, but often sells for meaningfully less on the clearance market. Against AMD's RX 6600 covered in this batch, the RTX 3050 offers DLSS and ray tracing at a similar price, trading some rasterization performance.

Our verdict

Reviewed by Burooj Alam. Rated by us, not by users.

Expert rating6.5 / 10

Entry-level ray tracing and DLSS at a budget price, with modest raw performance.

Best for

Budget 1080p builds that want entry-level ray tracing and DLSS support.

Not for

Buyers who prioritize raw rasterization performance over RT/DLSS features.

Specifications

What these specs mean

Identity and type

Product Type	Desktop Add-In Card

Performance

VRAM	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6
Boost Clock	1777 MHz
Ray Tracing Support	Yes

Physical & Power

TDP	130 W

Silicon

Architecture	Ampere (GA106)
Process Node	Samsung 8N
Shader Units	2560

Ray tracing and AI

RT Cores	20

Clocks

Base Clock	1552 MHz

Memory

Memory Bus Width	128 bit
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s

Power

Power Connector	1x 8-pin

Host interface

PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0

Market and workstation

MSRP	249 USD
Launch Date	January 2022

FAQs

What are the key specifications of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA106/2560 CUDA Cores/8GB GDDR6/Budget Ray Tracing)?

Key specs for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050: VRAM 8 GB, Memory Bandwidth 224 GB/s, Boost Clock 1777 MHz, TDP 130 W, Architecture Ampere (GA106), Product Type Desktop Add-In Card.

Who is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA106/2560 CUDA Cores/8GB GDDR6/Budget Ray Tracing) best suited to?

Best suited to: Budget 1080p builds that want entry-level ray tracing and DLSS support.

What are the drawbacks of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA106/2560 CUDA Cores/8GB GDDR6/Budget Ray Tracing)?

Not the best fit for: Buyers who prioritize raw rasterization performance over RT/DLSS features.